Like cat and dog,

A canine advanced through the alley's dim light,

Wounded and bruised, abandoned in plight,

Like cat and dog,

He dragged along,

Crossing the path of a cat along.

Like cat and dog,

On a rooftop high, the cat watched with care,

With a piercing eye, assessing the affair.

Like cat and dog,

He descended to the canine in pain,

And gently sniffed the injured in vain.

Like cat and dog,

He led him with a limping stride,

To his shabby shelter, where he would hide.

Like cat and dog,

He licked his wounds, despite the ache,

Of body and heart, for friendship's sake.

Like cat and dog,

He took him in

As a new friend to begin.

Like cat and dog,

The two companions

Came to know each other with passion.

Like cat and dog,

A friendship bloomed between the two,

Each looking out for the other, so true.

Like cat and dog,

Sadly, such a bond

Is often deemed unnatural and wrong.

Like cat and dog,

One day, the cat was found

Abandoned by the gutter, on the ground.

Like cat and dog,

The dog, grieving the loss of his mate,

Lay beside him, heart heavy with fate.

Like cat and dog,

Life could not keep them together long,

In death, they were embraced, strong.

Like cat and dog...

Dear readers,

Is there no joy to be found?

For those whose nature is profound,

Why must such friendship bring sorrow so grim?

Or must they live in fear of a world so dim?

Where we face disdain so fierce and crude,

We withdraw from the world's harsh mood,

To avoid such scorn and disdain,

And escape the world's cruel refrain.

Célestin de La Source